Strade Sicure changes face: General Portolano's plan

Rome, 30 March 2025 - More than fifteen years after its launch, the 'Strade Sicure' operation could be about to undergo a substantial evolution. This is what emerges from the hearing of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Luciano Portolano, before the parliamentary committees convened to discuss Italy's military missions for 2025.

Operation Safe Streets born in extraordinary times

At the centre of the debate is the role of the Armed Forces in the defence of the national territory and the need to rethink their operational methods in the light of changes in the domestic and international context. The use of the military to support internal security has distant origins, sinking its roots in the dramatic mafia massacres of 1992, when Italy, struck to the heart by 'Cosa Nostra', launched the 'Vespri Siciliani' operation.

In that vein, in 2008, the operation "Strade Sicure"designed to support law enforcement agencies in the surveillance of sensitive targets and the prevention of terrorist and criminal threats. Initially conceived as a temporary intervention, it was gradually extended and expanded to involve over 7,500 units.

To date, the operation represents the Army's most massive commitment in the country: 6,000 military personnel deployed in 'Strade Sicure' and 800 in the parallel 'Stazioni Sicure', extended until 2027 by the 2025 Budget Law.

The crux of effectiveness: more quality, less quantity

During the hearing, General Portolano raised a crucial question: 'Strade Sicure was created at a time of emergency. Now the question is whether the emergency continues'. A point that invites us to reflect on the structural character assumed by an operation that was born to cope with a critical phase and that, today, risks turning into a permanent measure, with a constant and burdensome use of military resources.

The Chief of Staff indicated the need for a restyling: fewer numbers but more effectiveness, including through more dynamic operating methods. Among the proposals is the transition from fixed surveillance of individual targets to dynamic surveillance of entire urban areas, potentially covering more sensitive sites with mobile patrols, on the instructions of the prefects. The issue of the deployment of the military on the territory is intertwined with the broader issue of the sustainability of the defence model.

Minister Guido Crosetto emphasised that 'the staffing blanket is short' and announced the need for an overall rethink: new investments, more staff and appropriate training. "Today the numbers are calibrated to a different historical era," he explained, "but the world has changed and continues to change rapidly.

A presence to be rethought in the new global scenario

The reflection on the future of 'Strade Sicure' comes at a time when Italy is involved in 41 military missions, 39 abroad and 2 at home. A complex commitment, in a global context marked by tensions in Ukraine, the Middle East, the Western Balkans and beyond. In this scenario, the presence of the Armed Forces on Italian streets remains a reassuring element for many citizens.

However, its very longevity raises questions about its nature: is it still an extraordinary operation, or has it now become an integral part of ordinary security? The debate is open, and General Portolano seems to indicate a middle way between abandoning the operation and simply extending it: transforming it, modernising it, making it leaner and more effective.

A 'restyling', in fact, that would allow the Armed Forces to continue to contribute to national security, but with more flexible instruments, better calibrated to current needs. With the Jubilee just around the corner and international tensions on the rise, the military presence on Italian territory is destined to remain a fundamental resource. But even resources must be rethought sooner or later.

Source: https://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/cosa-e-strade-sicure-e-perche-capo-stato-maggiore-difesa-propone-restyling-AGB5PamD